Acclaimed shoegaze band They Are Gutting a Body of Water has canceled their planned fall tour. The news comes as frontman Doug Dulgarian announced he was diagnosed with cancer.

In a lengthy Instagram post caption, Dulgarian shared the unfortunate news. He found out the same day the band released their new mixtape, KOOL FAITH / LOOSIES II. “Damn. Super bummed to have to talk about this. And super bummed to do this,” Dulgarian wrote. “I was diagnosed with cancer last Friday, same day we put out Kool Faith. Crazy day, every possible emotion lmao.”

“We obviously can’t do the tour, as I need to get this figured out,” he continued. “I have treatment in a couple weeks. I have a feeling it will all work out. Been [through] a lot of things in my crazy and (atp) relatively long existence, and I’m no stranger to putting my best foot forward and facing some difficult s**t.”

Dulgarian then added, “I wanna make this clear. I’m not seeking pity. I do not want to sway your emotions to feel bad for me; I just want to inform you. I genuinely believe this will work out just fine. There are many people with much worse problems, and my life has been so infinitely blessed and privileged & I never lose sight of that.”

They Are Gutting a Body of Water Frontman Doug Dulgarian has been diagnosed with cancer

As a result of Dulgarian’s cancer diagnosis, TAGABOW has canceled their upcoming tour. However, they are keeping three December dates: two shows in Brooklyn on December 9th and 10th and one hometown Philly show on December 18th.

A GoFundMe has been started for Dulgarian to help mitigate the financial burden of his medical issues, as well as make up lost income from the band’s canceled tour.

A description of the fundraiser explains where the funds will be going. “Douglas Dulgarian of the band They Are Gutting a Body of Water was diagnosed with cancer last Friday. Douglas needs to undergo treatment immediately, which means TAGABOW has to cancel their tour that was supposed to start next week.”

“The hope is that Douglas will be recovered by their NYC and Philly shows in December,” the description adds. “But everything is up in the air right now. This has left Douglas and the band in a financially precarious spot.”

“Douglas has already paid for thousands of dollars of medical bills out of pocket to get the cancer diagnosis,” The GoFundMe goes on to explain. “There are upfront tour-related costs that can’t be reimbursed, and the profits from the tour was supposed to be the band’s income for the rest of the year. We are praying for a speedy recovery and asking for donations at this time to cover medical bills and living expenses while he navigates cancer treatment and recovery.”

At the time of this writing, the GoFundMe has raised more than its $40,000 goal.

Photo by Samantha Tellez/Rolling Stone via Getty Images

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Shoegaze was well established by the 2000s, after a decade of genre pioneers. But while it may not have felt as novel then, plenty of shoegaze albums still made their mark in the 2000s. Of those that may have slipped from memory, these few deserve a reminder.

‘Despondent Transponder’ by Fleeting Joys

Fleeting Joys released Despondent Transponder in 2006, earning devoted fans but flying relatively under the wider shoegaze radar. In later years, it was considered an underrated classic of the genre. Despite comparisons to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, Despondent Transponder remained a beloved album for longtime fans.

A vinyl re-issue in 2020 made the album more accessible to newer fans, as physical copies had become collector’s items in the ensuing years. Fleeting Joys are still appreciated for their alternating vocals, dreamlike wall of sound, and psychedelic-influenced style that references 90s shoegaze pioneers.

‘Deathconsciousness’ by Have a Nice Life

Post-punk shoegaze duo Have a Nice Life released Deathconsciousness completely independently in 2008. As a result, the album was relatively overlooked, especially as a debut. But it gained a cult following over the years as Have a Nice Life’s fanbase grew, effectively becoming a shoegaze staple.

Even though Deathconsciousness didn’t break through immediately, it’s longevity despite that indicates its genuine artistry. Recorded sporadically between 2002 and 2007, the album didn’t start taking shape cohesively until around 2005. Details of the rudimentary recording set-up and DIY ethos captured interested fans and brought the experimental duo more attention in the ensuing years.

‘Primary Colours’ by The Horrors

The Horrors released Primary Colours in 2009, after the album drummed up much anticipation from fans and critics alike. The band debuted in 2007 with Strange House, which mostly contained previously released tracks. Primary Colours also had the band adding more shoegaze and post-rock elements to their style.

Overall, Primary Colours provided The Horrors with a bit of a sonic makeover. They went from goth rock to shoegaze psychedelia, and listeners wanted more. This album effectively ushered in a psych-rock revival for the U.K., but fans and critics often note that their contribution isn’t properly acknowledged. In any case, Primary Colours landed on eight year-end best-of lists in 2009, so clearly it deserves the accolades.

Photo by Wendy Redfern/Redferns

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